Using Others' Characters
From USS Andronicus: System X
Covered briefly in Don’t Be A Dullard!! Everything You Need to Know About Posting, the use of others’ characters is a touchy and controversial topic in a lot of RPGs these days. It’s a clock with a pendulum, really. One swing of the pendulum and one seems to be able to use other players’ characters freely without fear of receiving an evil or disdainful look, and on the next swing of the pendulum one finds himself having to co-author or leave blank spaces in his post where a different character would be talking, acting, moving, or blinking. This brief explanation will tell you what to expect on the Andronicus, and will guide you if you have doubts or concerns.
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When To Use Others’ Characters
You can use another character any time you’d like—with a few reasonable limitations. Taken to extremes, both positions of the pendulum are absurd and chaotic. Excessive freedom detracts from a person’s ability to develop his own character and excessive restrictions impede the flow of the storyline—it’s just a bottleneck! So instead of either of these, just remember a few things about using other people’s characters:
Be Respectful
Do unto other characters as you would have done unto yours. Take the time to read the biographies—those will tell you a lot about who you’re working with. Once you’ve done your reading, watch how the other player portrays his character; when you’re using that character in your post, make him speak, act, and interact like himself. Each character has his own distinct personality—learn it and use it. Such is the key to good writing, and not making lots of enemies. Furthermore, don’t do anything significant or life-changing to someone else’s character. Yes, a good character is always dynamic, but important changes are rightfully the decision of the character’s player and creator. So don’t seriously injure, marry, or otherwise alter a character that isn’t yours without the owner’s express permission.
Be Agreeable
If someone comes to you and says, “Hey man, listen, in your last post you made my character say something he wouldn’t ever say,” don’t get defensive. It happens. That person knows his character better than you know his character, and you are obligated to respect his wishes, as he is yours when it comes to your own character. If you are having constant confrontations with someone over petty use of another character, take the issue to your commanding officer or executive officer—in private. These matters can often be easily resolved and are usually just the result of a misunderstanding. Just be agreeable. It is a game, after all.
Don’t Take Unmerited Command Liberties
This mostly applies to how you interact with superior officers. First, don’t use your CO or XO to demote or reprimand someone you don’t like. This will not only irritate the person you are reprimanding, but it will kindle the wrath of your superior officer. Second, don’t write the CO or XO issuing orders that you think should be issued. Unless you are the captain, you are not the captain; the captain is the captain. Finally, do not create NPCs that outrank your captain and give him orders. You will be scrubbing plasma manifolds or creating tedious tachyon fields for the rest of your tour of duty. This list is not all inclusive, but use your brain—I think you get the general idea.
When Not To Use Others’ Characters
Really, there isn’t any specific time when it’s a bad idea to use another person’s character. The important thing to remember is to be respectful, be agreeable, and don’t take unmerited command liberties. As long as you are thoughtful, tasteful, and reasonable in using other people’s characters, you won’t experience any problems. One thing you might want to remember (and practice):
Use Common Sense
Don’t take the chief security officer with an armed squad on a mission of diplomacy. Don’t take needless science officers along when you’re boarding an enemy ship, and don’t send the newest, scaredest ensign on a dangerous reconnaissance mission aboard a Borg tactical cube—they will be having a hard enough time adapting and learning the basics of posting as it is. Use common sense.
